Lot 178 Canada #596,596i 20c Multicoloured Prairies, 1972 - 1977 Landscape Definitives Issue, 2 VFNH Singles 3mm OP2, Vertical Ribbed, DF Greyish/ DF Grey & OP4 Faded Bars, DF Blue Grey/DF-fl Grey With Sparse LF, Perf 12.5x12

2 VFNH singles of the 20c multicoloured Prairies from the 1972 - 1977 Landscape Definitives Issue 3mm OP2, vertical ribbed, DF greyish/ DF grey & OP4 faded bars, and DF blue grey/DF-fl grey with sparse LF, perf 12.5x12. The flecked paper on the OP4 is scarce, as I only found 3 singles in several hundred stamps on the vertical ribbed paper. Two were DF/DF and the other is lot 177 on DF/NF paper

Our estimated value is $6. The Unitrade catalogue value is $1.75 The stamps offered here grades 75 as follows:

Centering/Margins: 45/70

Paper Freshness: 5/5

Colour: 5/5

Impression: 5/5

Absence of Visible Paper Flaws: 5/5

Perforations: 10/10

We have listed the two or three colour shift varieties that can be found on each of the values in this issue. For some strange reason, Unitrade only listed, until recently those varieties related to the 15c and 25c values. They de-listed them in the 2023 edition of the catalogue on the grounds that they aren't constant. However, our position is that this was a poor decision because these varieties are visually striking and thus very much collectible in our opinion. They also are not anywhere near as common as one might think, making up between 5-10% of all the stamps printed for each major printing. For each of the varieties found on the 10c, 20c and 50c that were never listed in Unitrade, we have coined a name for the variety and explained what causes it. We have generally estimated most at between $5-$15 each, which is in line with what Unitrade valued them at before they de-listed them. On this value the main shifts involve the deep orange, which can be shifted in any of the 4 directions, When shifted downward, it has the effect of making the field demarcations appear double, at least at the top of the design. There are also other potentially constant varieties, such as the scratch to the right of "0", the inverted "7" on the purple field and the crop circle flaw.

We have listed the two or three colour shift varieties that can be found on each of the values in this issue. For some strange reason, Unitrade only listed, until recently those varieties related to the 15c and 25c values. They de-listed them in the 2023 edition of the catalogue on the grounds that they aren't constant. However, our position is that this was a poor decision because these varieties are visually striking and thus very much collectible in our opinion. They also are not anywhere near as common as one might think, making up between 5-10% of all the stamps printed for each major printing. For each of the varieties found on the 10c, 20c and 50c that were never listed in Unitrade, we have coined a name for the variety and explained what causes it. We have generally estimated most at between $5-$15 each, which is in line with what Unitrade valued them at before they de-listed them. The main varieties that exists on this value are the shifts, in all four directions of the deeper orange, the downward shift of which causes the field markings to appear doubled at the top of the design. These seem to be mostly combined to the plate 1 printings from what I can tell.